With hardware decoding for Blu-ray and HD DVD formats, PureVideo HD technology lowers CPU utilization when watching high-definition video formats by decoding the entire video stream in the graphics processor, freeing up the processor for other tasks. In addition to low CPU utilization, PureVideo HDenhances standard definition video content withde-interlacing and other post-processing algorithms to ensure standard DVD movies look their best on the PC screen and high-definition television sets. High definition content protection, or HDCP, technology ensures a secure connection between the GeForce 9800 GTX graphics card and an HDCP capable monitor for viewing protected content such as high-definition Blu-ray or HD DVD movies.

Coupled withPureVideo HDtechnology, the 9800 GTX deliver the ultimate multimedia experience. HDMI technology allows users to connect PCs to high-definition television sets with a single cable, delivering high-definition surround sound audio and video with resolutions up to 1080p. PureVideo HD technology scales video in the highest quality up to resolutions of 2560x1600 - from standard and high-definition file formats - while preserving the details of the original content. PureVideo HD technology also accelerates high-definition video decode, freeing up CPU cycles while watching high-definition Blu-ray and HD DVD movies or other VC-1 and H.264 encoded file formats.

NVIDIA Unified Architecture

Unified shader architecture

GigaThread technology

Full support for Microsoft DirectX 10

Geometry shaders

Geometry instancing

Streamed output

Shader Model 4.0

Full 128-bit floating point precision through the entire rendering pipeline

NVIDIA Lumenex Engine

16x full screen anti-aliasing

Transparent multisampling and transparent supersampling

16x angle independent anisotropic filtering

128-bit floating point high dynamic-range (HDR) lighting with anti-aliasing

NVIDIA Quantum Effects Technology

Advanced shader processors architecture for physics computation

Simulate and render physics effects on the graphics processor

NVIDIA SLI Technology

NVIDIA Scalable Link Interface (SLI) increases the processing power available for graphics cards through parallel processing. Patented hardware and software technology allows twoGeForce-based graphics cards to run in parallel to scale performance and enhance image quality on today's top titles.

NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology

Along with world-class video acceleration, PureVideo HDhas been at the forefront of advanced video post-processing. With the R174 series driver, we are introducing new features for PureVideo HDfor GeForce 9600 GT. These new features, Dynamic Contrast Enhancement and Dynamic Blue, Green, and Skin Tone Enhancements, are extremely computationally intensive and not found on even the most high-end Blu-ray or HD DVD players. But by tapping into the enormous pool of computational power offered by our processor cores, we can now enable post-processing techniques that have yet to be realized in fixed-function video processors.

Dedicated on-chip video processor

High-definition H.264, VC-1, MPEG2 and WMV9 decode acceleration

Advanced spatial-temporal de-interlacing

HDCP capable3

Spatial-Temporal De-Interlacing

Noise Reduction

Edge Enhancement

Bad Edit Correction

Inverse telecine (2:2 and 3:2 pull-down correction)

High-quality scaling

Video color correction

Microsoft Video Mixing Renderer (VMR) support

Advanced Display Functionality

Two dual-link DVI outputs for digital flat panel display resolutions up to 2560x1600

One dual-link DVI outputs for digital flat panel display resolutions up to 2560x16004

Dual integrated 400MHz RAMDACs for analog display resolutions up to and including 2048x1536 at 85Hz

Dynamic Color Enhancement

By analyzing the color components of each frame, we can also isolate and improve the appearance of blue, green, and skin tones, which the human eye is particularly sensitive to. Unlike televisions which have built-in image processors, PC monitors typically display the input picture without any processing, which can result in comparatively dull images. Dynamic blue, green, and skin tone enhancement alleviates this problem by applying correction curves on these sensitive colors. The result is improved total balance and clarity, without over saturation.